A Help Guide. Applying for Unemployment Insurance (UI) online

Transcription

1 Applying for Unemployment Insurance (UI) online A Help Guide For information on the Alaska Unemployment Insurance program visit: labor.alaska.gov/unemployment

2 1 Applying for UI over the Internet is fast, easy and secure! Table of contents What you need to get started To apply over the Internet go to my.alaska.gov Register for myalaska New claim information Weekly benefits Here s what you need to get started: Your Social Security Number. Your current mailing and physical address. Your telephone number or a contact number. If you are not a U.S. citizen, your Alien Registration Number, type of card and expiration date. Your most recent employer s name (company name), address and phone number. DD 214, Member 4 (if you served in the military in the past 18 months). Your dates of employment and the reason you are no longer working for your last employer (e.g., quit, fired, lack of work, laid-off, etc.). Hours and gross wages earned in the last week you worked. To calculate your wages, multiply the hours you worked by your hourly pay. This equals wages earned. Information about any retirement income you are receiving. The information you provide will be used to determine your eligibility for UI benefits. It is important that your information is accurate and complete for all questions asked.

3 If you want your UI payments to be deposited into your bank you will need: Your bank routing number Your account number If you chose not to use direct deposit and you are determined to be eligible to receive UI benefits, you will automatically receive your benefits on the Key2Benefits debit card provided by KeyBank. Direct deposit In this example the routing number is and the account number is IMPORTANT! You have 20 minutes per page to complete the process before the system will log you out. If this happens you must log back on and re-enter your information on your application. If you need to stop before you complete the application your information will not be saved. You will need to start from the beginning. Read all instructions carefully. Complete each screen from top to bottom. Questions/information marked with a red dot are required. You will not be able to continue to the next page until all required questions/information have been answered/provided. You can click on this icon to get additional help or information about the page or question you are working on. Do not use the back arrow. If you need to make a change or check your answer on a previous page, use the previous button located at the bottom on each page. Your information WILL NOT BE SAVED if you log off before you submit and receive a confirmation number. The Division of Employment and Training Services is responsible for protecting the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Those who collect, or attempt to collect benefits dishonestly will be disqualified, will have to repay the benefits received, will be charged an additional amount equal to one-half the amount of the wrongfully claimed benefits and be subject to other civil and criminal penalties.

4 3 What to expect once you are in the application to file for UI benefits There are 10 main sections to the application process: 1. Initial claim data These questions will help determine your eligibility for UI benefits from Alaska. 2. Personal information Your name, address (both mailing and physical), phone number, , etc. 3. Eligibility information This information is used to determine your eligibility for benefits i.e. do you have child care, transportation, are you attending school, etc. 4. Deductible income information You will be required to give additional information if you expect to receive any vacation, sick, severance pay, etc. 5. Employment history Have you worked for the military, federal government, or in another state in the last 18 months. 6. Select last employer This page will list the employer(s) that UI has on file for you at the time you file. 7. Employment information You will need to provide your last employer s name, address, phone number, dates of employment, wages, position, location and current employment status. 8. Registration information Questions to determine if you will need to register in the Alaska Labor Exchange System (ALEXsys) for work. 9. Certification page You certify and agree that you have read the information, and understand what you need to do to continue the claim process. 10. Confirmation page This page will give you a confirmation number, and provide helpful links to access direct deposit and register in ALEXsys. myalaska my.alaska.gov If you already have a myalaska account click here. To create a myalaska account click here and go to next page.

5 If you DO NOT have a myalaska account, follow these instructions 4 Creating a user name and password in myalaska You can click on this icon to get additional information or instructions TIPS How do I choose a username? Your username should be something that you will remember. You will need this each time you log in to myalaska. Your username must be between one and 120 characters long, and may contain only letters, numbers and the following characters: - Spaces and any other special characters are not allowed within usernames. It is not currently possible to change your username after it has been created. Password requirements: Must be between six and 50 characters long May contain letters, numbers and special characters. Something that only you will know. Not related to your username or your secret question and answer. Difficult for others to guess. What is the secret question? This Forgotten Password Question is used in case you lose your password and our system needs to verify that it is really you trying to reset your password. Choose a personal question to which only you will know the answer. The answer to your secret question is not case sensitive. Why does myalaska require my address? Your address is used to help verify your identity during enrollment and to help re-establish your account if you ever lose your user name. Without a valid address you will be unable to register with myalaska. myalaska will send an to this address during the enrollment process.

6 5 From this page you will click on View Your Services Your myalaska user name will be here. Your name will be here. Click here. After you register... After you register and sign into myalaska you will return to the myalaska home page. From here you will click on Unemployment Insurance Benefits located under Services for Individuals. Click here to go to Unemployment Insurance benefits.

7 6 Client Authentication page You may see this page when opening a new UI claim or reopening an existing claim: Initial claim data page The first two questions on this page are asking about your work between these dates. Indicates required field. Press to go back to the previous page. Press to go to the next page. To help determine your eligibility, you need to report where you have worked in the last 18 months.

8 7 Personal and statistical info page Your mail will be sent to your mailing address. Very Important advisory, please read. If a Yes answer Drop-down boxes to help with your selection. If your mailing address is a P.O. Box or you live at a different location than your mailing address you will need to provide your physical address here. Some addresses are not recognized by the U.S. Postal Service verification system. If you get a message that your address is not valid and you are sure it is correct just click continue again to go to the next page. Eligibility Questions When answering yes or no to a question, you may see a dropdown box. There are three types of boxes that may open up. Examples of these are shown here. Dependents are defined as your natural children, stepchildren by marriage, legally adopted children or your legal ward. Dependents must be unmarried, and under the age of 18 or disabled. They must also live with you or you must be providing more than 50 percent of their financial support. You cannot claim your spouse as a dependent. If you answer No to this question, you will need to enter your Alien registration number then use the drop down boxes to select the correct answer. Answering Yes to this question means you were not able to work at any job for at least seven continuous weeks because of illness or injury. This is an example of additional instructions. Answering YES to this question means you could not accept a job because of this obligation. If offered a job, do you have a way to get to work such as walk, bus, drive, taxi.

9 Deductible income 8 You are answering questions based on the dates provided. Date Date Date Employment history If you worked in more than one state, you will be contacted for a claim choice. Combining your wages from all states worked may result in an increase of your weekly benefit amount. If we are unable to make contact, your claim will be based on the wages you earned in Alaska only. Depending on your answers you may need to supply additional information. Select Last Employer page Your most recent employer could also be an out-of-state employer. If your last employer is not listed, select this option.

10 9 Last Employment page NOTE: If you selected an employer from the Last Employer Page, some of the information may be prefilled for you. If you selected Last employer not listed, you will need to fill in all the information requested. Remember you can click on this icon to get additional information. Select your last job title from the titles listed in the drop down box that best fits your job duties. Type in the name of the city, town or village where you physically performed your job. Select one of the options from the drop down box that best fits the reason your last job ended. This is the contact information for the company you worked for last. If you worked for two employers in the same week report the last employer you were scheduled to work for. Registration information Depending on your answer(s) you may need to fill out additional information. Answering YES means you are in good standing with your dispatching Union and can be dispatched to any Union employer requesting your skills. This is an example of additional instructions you need to follow.

11 10 Certification page It is very important to read your CERTIFICATION PAGE. This page gives you additional instructions you must follow. Failure to comply with all instructions will result in a delay or denial of UI benefits. Confirmation page You will find a confirmation number here. labor.alaska.gov/unemployment Remember to sign out of myalaska.

12 11 FILING FOR WEEKLY BENEFITS ONLINE After you have opened a UI claim you will need to file for benefits every two weeks in order to receive payment. This step is fast, easy, and secure over the Internet! You will need: myalaska ID and password. Your Social Security Number. Dates you were not able or available to work each week. Dates you refused an offer of work or job referral. If attending school or a training program, you will need the name of the school or training program, dates of attendance and class schedule. Date(s) and reason for any travel outside of your local residence. Date(s) of move, if you relocated. Your retirement amount if it has changed or you just started receiving your retirement pay. The amount of any vacation, sick, severance, bonus, or holiday pay. Your most recent employer s name (company name), address and phone number. Hours and gross wages earned in the last week you worked. To calculate your wages, multiply the hours you worked by your hourly pay. This equals wages earned. Your work search information: Date Employer name Method of search (i.e., in-person, mail, phone or Internet) If additional information is requested please give as much detail as possible. This will help prevent your UI payment from being delayed. To file for your weekly benefits you will go to myalaska, click on unemployment benefits and then select weeks claim. After you certify your claim you will be given a confirmation number. Keep this number for your records as proof of filing timely.

13 The following pages are examples of the screens you may see when filing for your weekly UI benefits. 12 Filing for weekly benefits Any request for information or a question that has a red dot is required. You will not be able to continue to the next page until you have provided the required information. For additional help or instructions some screens provide a help icon. Click on this symbol to get more instructions. Is this you? To file your weekly claim, click here.

14 13 Verify your personal information: Click here for help. Questions may change without notice Be sure to read each question completely before selecting your answer. Depending on your answer, you may see additional questions.

15 Wages are the total amount you earned that day and NOT your hourly rate. Example: If you worked 8 hours and earn $10 an hour, you would report 8 hours worked and $80 in wages. 14 Reporting wages The majority of overpayments are due to misreported work and earnings. If it is determined fraudulent information was submitted you must repay all benefits paid during the week affected, along with a penalty equal to 50 percent of the overpayment. Additionally, you will be disqualified from receiving future benefits. The period of disqualification is at least six weeks, up to a maximum of 52 weeks. Self-employed earnings To report self-employed earnings, you will fill out this form. When reporting self-employment earnings you are reporting the net income, which is the amount you earn after expenses. Click the icon for more information.

16 15 Registration information Questions may change without notice. Be sure to read each question completely before selecting your answer. Work Search Questionnaire Read and follow all instructions to prevent a delay or denial of UI benefits.

17 Certification page 16 It is very important to read your CERTIFICATION PAGE. This page gives you additional instructions you must follow. Failure to comply with all instructions will result in a delay or denial of UI benefits. Confirmation page You will find a confirmation number here. labor.alaska.gov/unemployment Remember to sign out of myalaska.

18 We are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Rev. 10/2015